Various cybersecurity attacks continue to grow in quality and quantity from time to time. The danger is that anyone can be the target of these threats, including you.
To anticipate it, you need to equip yourself with multiple layers of security. And one of the best options is to use a VPN.
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What is a VPN?
A virtual private network (VPN) is a tool that helps you connect to the internet via an encrypted and more secure connection.
By using a VPN, all your online activities will not be seen by anyone, be it hackers, government institutions, or even the internet service provider (ISP) you use.
Whenever you access a site or online service, your device will be connected to a server belonging to the VPN service provider.
This server then hides your IP address and provides a replacement IP address. Therefore, the identity and location of your device can be protected and cannot be tracked by any party.
VPN Protocols
Interestingly, the VPN service also provides various VPN protocols options that you can choose manually according to your needs. Some of them are as follows:
- OpenVPN
Most VPN services use OpenVPN as the default protocol. Apart from having a stable connection, this protocol also offers the best level of encryption and is compatible with various devices and operating systems. OpenVPN also has optimal performance for remote connections.
- IKEv2 (Internet Key Exchange version 2)
works very well for short-distance connections. Amazingly, this protocol is equipped with the ability to switch your network automatically if suddenly your connection is lost. IKEv2 is also a fast, stable, and reliable protocol for streaming various online media.
- L2TP (Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol)
usually combined with the IPSec protocol to produce a secure and stable connection. This protocol can also be relied on for streaming your favourite online media.
- PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol)
Although it has a fairly fast and stable connection, PPTP is not equipped with reliable encryption. This protocol is not the right option for those who prefer the security aspect.
- SSTP (Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol)
has promising performance on Windows devices. However, this protocol is not highly recommended for online media streaming.
What Are the Benefits of a VPN?
Having learned what a VPN is, let's now discuss some of the benefits it has:
1. Privacy is More Protected
You get the freedom to access the internet in an anonymous mode so that no one will be able to track your online activities.
With strong encryption, all your data will not be exploited by any party and will be protected from the threat of identity theft, including when accessing the internet using public wifi networks.
2. More Guaranteed Performance
Without a VPN, other parties (including ISPs) can control and slow down your connection because it is considered to have crossed a predetermined data usage limit.
Whereas with a VPN, other people will not be able to know what content you open on the internet, thus preventing them from interrupting your network.
3. Accessing Blocked Content Easily
You no longer have to worry about geo-restrictions or censorship that stop you from accessing various content on the internet.
This is because a VPN helps you change the location of your device by taking advantage of spoofing technology, making it appear as if you are connecting from another country.
4. Improve Connection Security
Without a doubt, a VPN can strengthen the security of your network. Besides being equipped with reliable data encryption, VPNs also come with malware filters.
As a result, you can access online banking or make other transactions safely; without worrying if your account information and sensitive data will be stolen by cybercriminals.
5. Ease of Remote Access
If your company enforces WFH, a VPN makes it easy for you to open and transfer company data from any location.
A VPN also guarantees that your information remains protected and will not be exploited by any party.
Things to Consider When Choosing a VPN Service
Interested in using a VPN? First, consider some crucial points that you need to pay attention to before choosing a VPN service.
1. What Protocol Options Are Provided?
Make sure the VPN service you choose provides the best protocol technology to ensure the protection of your connection. As a recommendation, you can choose a service that offers the OpenVPN protocol, which is equipped with stronger security features than other protocols.
2. Free or Paid?
Of course, always adjust to the budget you have. The good news is that many VPN services also come with a free version. Among them are Avira Phantom VPN, Kaspersky VPN Secure Connection, Speedify, and Hotspot Shield VPN.
But keep in mind that the free version may have slower performance and have very limited features. Some free VPNs will also display advertisements that can interfere with your convenience, or even secretly sell your data to other parties.
3. Where is its Server Location?
Keep in mind that server location is a key factor affecting your network speed. The closer the server's physical location is, the faster your connection will be to access the internet.
In addition to the location, also find out the number of servers provided. The more servers a VPN service has, the lower the chance that the service will be overloaded or down. As a recommendation, choose a VPN service with at least 1000 servers.
4. Is it compatible with your device?
Equally important, find out whether the VPN service you choose supports the operating system you are using or not. Then if you plan to use the VPN on multiple devices (including mobile phones), make sure that the service supports connecting to multiple devices at the same time.
5. Does the Service Respect Your Privacy?
Most VPNs do claim that they enforce a no-log policy or won't log your activity. But there's nothing wrong if you read their privacy policy carefully to make sure that they really respect your privacy.
Conclusion
A VPN is a functional tool that offers an additional layer of security to your device. With its ability to mask IP addresses, you can surf the internet anonymously without worrying that your privacy will be exploited by others.
You can get many benefits from a VPN service, such as protection of remote data access, ease of opening blocked content, keeping your network performance stable, etc.
But before deciding on the best VPN option for your device, make sure the service fulfils the following:
- Provides reliable protocol.
- Have a price that fits your budget.
- Have a physical server location not far from you.
- Can be used on various devices.
- Have a privacy policy that will not harm you.
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